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Couples struggling with infertility see treatments stop due to coronavirus outbreak

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Updated: 9:53 AM CDT Apr 25, 2020

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BEEN PUT ON HOLD, WITH NO PROMISE OF WHEN IT MAY HAPPEN. <JILL SCHACHT/IVF TREATMENTS ON HOLD BECAUSE OF COVID-19> 03:14 IT COMES WITH SO MUCH SADNESS AND CAN PUT YOU IN THE PITS OF DESPAIR . THERE'S SUCH A BIG GRIEVING PROCESS ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO IT, NATURALLY.. STRUGGLING TO CONCEIVE CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS OVERWHELMING, SCARY AND EVEN TRYING... ACCORDING TO JILL SHACHT (SHACK-T). SHE AND HER HUSBAND CONVEIVED THEIR THREE YEAR OLD SON, HARRISON NATURALLY. AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS OF TRYING FOR A SECOND, SHE AND HER HUSBAND TURNED TO IVF. <JILL SCHACHT/IVF TREATMENTS ON HOLD BECAUSE OF COVID-19> 01:39 THERE IS SO MUCH RIGOR TO IT, YOUR MENTAL STAMINA YOUR PHYSICAL STAMINA, ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE ELEMENTS COME IN TO PLAY 01:52 SHE HAD PASSED MANY OF THE LARGE HURDLES OF THE TREATMENT, INJECTIONS, HORMONES..AND SURGERY..SHE WAS RIGHT AT THE POINT OF PREGNANCY... JILL WAS READY TO TRANSFER A HEALTH EMBRYO, RETREIVED IN MID FEBRUARY FROM AND IVF CYLCE. AND THEN - TIME STOPPED. <JILL SCHACHT/IVF TREATMENTS ON HOLD BECAUSE OF COVID-19> 00:3O JILL 4: I JUST FELT SO DISAPPOINTED LIKE WE WERE FINALLY GOING TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE WERE MOVING FORWARD AND WE WERE HAVING ALL OF THESE SMALL SUCCESSES AND THEN BAM. 00:40 LIKE SO MANY COUPLES WHO WERE MORE THAN READY TO WELCOME A CHILD IN 2020, ALL TREATMENTS, DEEMED NON ESSENTIAL, INCLUDING IVF -- WERE PUT ON HOLD AMID THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. <DR. AARON STYER/CCRM MEDICAL DIRECTOR 03:53 THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS THAT I CALLED UNDERSTANDABLY EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION, AND DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE THY HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR SO LONG, EITHER ON THEIR OWN OR WITH OTHER TREATMENTS AND NOW THEY WERE DELAYED 0 4:08 DR AARON STYER, THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT CCRM BOSTON, IS JILL'S DOCTOR HE TREATS ABOUT 200 WOMEN AT HIS PRACTICE. HE SAYS 1 IN 6 COUPLES DEAL WITH INFERTILITY. 09:36 SO I SEE IN MY MIND, FERTILITY TREATMENTS, AS WELL AS THE ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME PREGNANT WITH FERTILITY AS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT ELECTIVE AT ALL 09:45 SOMETHING THAT HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS MAY CONSIDER GOING FORWARD.. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, CCRM AND IT'S 11 CLINICS NATIONWIDE ARE FOLLOWINGGUIDELINES FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE, OR A-S-R- M. IT RECOMMEND PROCEDURES AND NEW TREATMENTS STOP, LEAVING JILL, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS, IN LIMBO -- WHEN TIME CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE OUTCOME. <DR. AARON STYER/CCRM MEDICAL DIRECTOR 04:20 I HAVE A LOT OF PATIENTS WHO ARE OLDER AGE OR REDUCED EGG RESERVE, THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE DELAY WOULD PUSH THEM PAST THEIR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY 04:31 A-S-R-M IS REEVALUATING IT'S DECISION EVERY TW WEEKS - AND TUESDAY WILL TAKE A LOOK AT WHETHER TREATMENTS CAN BEGIN AGAIN. IN THE MEANTIME, MANY COUPLES, THEIR FAMILIES AND FUTURES HANG IN THE BALANCE. <JILL SCHACHT/IVF TREATMENTS ON HOLD BECAUSE OF COVID 19> 03:33 IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THAT STILL FINDING THE THINGS YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO MANY 03:40 AND SOMETIMES IT'S JUST HARD TO GET THERE WHEN YOU WANT TO GROW YOUR FAMILY 03:46 SOME PLACES IN THE WORLD HAVE RESUMED FERTILITY TREATMENTS... AUSTRALIA IS RESTARTING. AND HERE IN THE U-S, NEW YORK WILL START SEEING PATIENTS NEXT WEEK

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Couples struggling with infertility see treatments stop due to coronavirus outbreak

Couples struggling with infertility have seen the dream of growing their family put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.Infertility treatments have been paused since mid-March because they are considered non-urgent."It comes with so much sadness and can put you in the pits of despair. There’s such a big grieving process about not being able to do it, naturally," Jill Schacht said.Schacht said struggling to conceive has been overwhelming, scary and trying. She and her husband conceived their 3-year-old son, Harrison, naturally, but after nearly two years of trying for a second child, they turned to in vitro fertilization treatments."There is so much rigor to it, your mental stamina, your physical stamina, all those. All those elements come into play," Schacht said.Schacht said she passed many of the large hurdles of treatment, including injections, hormones and surgery. She was ready to transfer a healthy embryo that was retrieved in February when the coronavirus outbreak hit."I just felt so disappointed, like we were finally going to get to a place where we were moving forward, and we were having all of these small successes, and then bam," Schacht said.Schacht and her husband are not alone in seeing their infertility treatments stopped due to the coronavirus."The majority of patients that I called understandably expressed frustration and disappointment because they have been trying for so long, either on their own or with other treatments, and now they were delayed," Dr. Aaron Styer, medical director of CCRM in Boston. Styer treats about 200 women at his practice and said one in six couples deal with infertility."So I see in my mind, fertility treatments, as well as the ability and opportunity to become pregnant with fertility, as something that is not elective at all," Styer said.Right now CCRM and its 11 clinics nationwide are following guidelines from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The ASRM recommended that procedures and new treatments stop, leaving Schacht and others in limbo."I have a lot of patients who are older age or have reduced egg reserve. They’re worried the delay would push them past their window of opportunity," Styer said.Some countries, including Australia, have restarted fertility treatments. In the United States, New York is beginning to see patients again.ASRM is reevaluating its recommendations every two weeks. In the meantime, many couples and their futures hang in the balance.In the meantime, Schacht said she's focused on finding the things she's grateful for, "because they are so many, and sometimes it's just hard to get there when you want to grow your family."

Couples struggling with infertility have seen the dream of growing their family put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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Infertility treatments have been paused since mid-March because they are considered non-urgent.

"It comes with so much sadness and can put you in the pits of despair. There’s such a big grieving process about not being able to do it, naturally," Jill Schacht said.

Schacht said struggling to conceive has been overwhelming, scary and trying. She and her husband conceived their 3-year-old son, Harrison, naturally, but after nearly two years of trying for a second child, they turned to in vitro fertilization treatments.

"There is so much rigor to it, your mental stamina, your physical stamina, all those. All those elements come into play," Schacht said.

Schacht said she passed many of the large hurdles of treatment, including injections, hormones and surgery. She was ready to transfer a healthy embryo that was retrieved in February when the coronavirus outbreak hit.

"I just felt so disappointed, like we were finally going to get to a place where we were moving forward, and we were having all of these small successes, and then bam," Schacht said.

Schacht and her husband are not alone in seeing their infertility treatments stopped due to the coronavirus.

"The majority of patients that I called understandably expressed frustration and disappointment because they have been trying for so long, either on their own or with other treatments, and now they were delayed," Dr. Aaron Styer, medical director of CCRM in Boston.

Styer treats about 200 women at his practice and said one in six couples deal with infertility.

"So I see in my mind, fertility treatments, as well as the ability and opportunity to become pregnant with fertility, as something that is not elective at all," Styer said.

Right now CCRM and its 11 clinics nationwide are following guidelines from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The ASRM recommended that procedures and new treatments stop, leaving Schacht and others in limbo.

"I have a lot of patients who are older age or have reduced egg reserve. They’re worried the delay would push them past their window of opportunity," Styer said.

Some countries, including Australia, have restarted fertility treatments. In the United States, New York is beginning to see patients again.

ASRM is reevaluating its recommendations every two weeks. In the meantime, many couples and their futures hang in the balance.

In the meantime, Schacht said she's focused on finding the things she's grateful for, "because they are so many, and sometimes it's just hard to get there when you want to grow your family."